Sunday, October 07, 2007

Anatomy of a mob

Now, I know what you're thinking. I'm posting something else on this Desperate Housewives controversy - just to get some more hits. So, why not? It's just been interesting watching this thing unfold over the past week.

So, let's review. The show airs a week ago. Almost immediately, the blog posts begin. Within 48 hours, the blogosphere mob starts to talk of boycotts, petitions, protests, and demanding an apology. Within another 48 hours, the Philippine government gets involved (don't they have anything better to do?).

Now, when the apology is issued, you would think that would satisfy the mob. But, alas, no. They demand more:

The Nafcon leaders and Sentosa 27 ++ nurses demanded a more proper apology from ABC Studios that would include: a) at least one broadcast apology before the show’s next episode, b) an investigation of the show’s writers and producers to find who wrote the line and who should be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, c) the cutting of the offensive scene from the episode permanently, as well as in all productions of DVDs and boxed sets of the series. The group also threatened to call for a boycott of the series if an appropriate and timely apology was not issued by the network.

As what happens with most mobs, their intended goal will fail. They will over play their hand here and be so over the top that the producers, writers, and actors of the show will gain the sympathy of the American public. Even though the show's producers will edit that line out of the show, in two weeks, no one will remember this ever happened.

Do you think anyone in Hollywood will consider putting a Filipino/Filipina actor on a culturally diverse medical show like Grey's Anatomy or ER? Well, not now - and probably not for a number of years - because of fearing the mob.

Hollywood producers like creating controversy - but, not dealing with with controversy. Do you hear that? It's all the doors that are being closed on writers, actors, and producers of Filipino descent. Thanks to the angry mob...

Do the protesters actually fear that the public, hearing that line in a ditzy tv show, will forever suspect Filipino medics? Well, that isn't going to happen, dear Filipinos. George Bush is still amazingly popular despite 24/7 year in/year out media trashing.

Hey, good thing I don't watch rubbish like Desperate Housewives! That woman, Terry something, the actress, was dumb to the bones. Can't she say anything to her producers? About being politically-correct?